This invention relates to novel tetraphosphine-coordinated gold(I) compounds which have tumor cell growth-inhibiting activity, pharmaceutical compositions containing an effective, tumor cell growth-inhibiting amount of such a novel compound, and a method for treating tumor cells sensitive to such a compound by administering tumor cell growth inhibiting amounts of such a novel compound to a host animal afflicted by such tumor cells.
The gold phosphine compounds of this invention are not known. Cariati et al., Inorg. Chim. Acta, 1(2), 315-18 (1967), and Bates et al., Inorg. Chim. Acta, 81(2), 151-156 (1984) disclose bis[1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino) ethane]gold(I) chloride. Struck et al., J. Med. Chem., 9, 414-417 (1966), disclose cytotoxic activity for 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane. None of the aforementioned references disclose or suggest the pharmaceutical compositions or methods of treatment of the instant invention.